January 10, 2013

Eating Healthy on a Budget.

One thing I've decided to do with this space in the new year is to write a series about something I'm very passionate about: eating healthy. I believe it's good to know what we're putting in our bodies and to make sure we're getting all the nutrients we need. I also believe that we can cure/prevent future illnesses by eating food that provides what we might be lacking otherwise.

Since there is so much that goes into how we decide which foods to purchase, I've decided it's probably best to make this an ongoing series. If you all are interested in that, of course. Dave and I don't have the money to go to a place like Whole Foods and buy whatever we want and know it's going to be pretty healthy. Our grocery buying is pretty strategic, that way we get to eat the foods we need without it costing us a fortune.

To start off the series I want to give you a few of my favorite tips, a few of these I'll be expanding on as the series continues...

*Don't be afraid to shop around: this is definitely one I'll expand on, but as far as stretching your dollar and still getting great food, this is a big one!

*Stock up. There are some things that can last awhile (unlike those fresh fruits and veggies), while still being healthy for you. Make sure you always have plenty of them on hand in case of a pinch. These tend to be pretty cheap too, especially if you stock up while they're on sale.
-frozen fruits/veggies: in this case frozen is better than canned
-beans: dry, canned, it doesn't matter
-soup: check the ingredients! (low sodium and few ingredients are best)
-brown rice

*Drink more water! Although this tip doesn't deal with eating healthy on a budget, it will help you spend less on food because you won't be as hungry. This is my favorite tip for those trying to get started with weight loss or just eating healthy in general. Even if you already try to drink water throughout the day, you probably need more...trust me, it works.

Ok, that's all for today! Let me know what you all think about this series and any questions or specific topics you'd like me to cover. Pretty please let me know your interest (or not) in this series because it will help me determine how often to add a new post about it.